Mop



'July 14, 1925. 1,545,510

H. J. OSTDIEK ET- AL MOP Filed March 24. 1923 Patented July 14, 1925.

UNITED STATES I 1,545,510 PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN J. O'STDII IK, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, AND MARY E. HANKE, OF

' OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN.

nor.

Application filed March 24, 1923. Serial No. 627,279.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERMAN J. Os'rnmx and MARY E. HANKE, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Minneapolis and Oshkosh, in the counties of Hennepin and Winnebago and States of Minnesota and Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mops; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the 'art to which it appertains to make and use of parts hereinafter described and defined.

in .the claims.

The complete -mo comprises a. suitable handle, a flexible coiled mop holder, and a swab consisting of a fabric casing and an absorbent body, preferably of cotton cords. A plurality of swabs may be interchangeably used with the common handle and holder, and some of said swabs may be suitable for use as a wet mop, others for use as a dry mop, and still others for use as an oiled mop. p

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the complete mop, part of the handle stick being broken away; 0

Fig. '2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig' 1, some parts being in section;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the coiled spring .mo holder removed from workin osition wooden stick 6 preferably jecting supplemental semi-cylindrical spring.

clamping portions 9. The bodies of the plates 7 form webs between the sockebformmg portions 8 and 9. The socket-forming portions 8 fit the-end ofthe handle stick 6, and nut-equipped bolts 10 are passed therethrough to rigidly clamp said sections onto said stick. Other nut-equipped bolts 11 are passed through the webs of the plates 7.

The swab holder is in the form of a cylindrically formed coiled spring 12 that is naturally straight as shown in Fig. 3, but is adapted to bend into circular form when its ends are inserted into the socket-forming portions 9 of the mop head. The ends of said spring may be readily inserted into said socket-forming portions 9 when the nuts of the bolts 10 and 11 are loosened, but when the said nuts are tightened, the ends of said spring will be tightly clamped to said head, and the said head will be clamped to the handle or stick 6. 1

The mop swab in itself involves novel features. It is made up of strong cloth or fabric strip 13 and layers of short cords 14.

These .layers of cords 14 are placed crosswise of the fabric strip 13 when the latter is straightened out asindicated by dotted cords, as shown in Fig. 4. Next, the swab is folded upon itself on the line of the stitches 15 so as-to bring both ends of the cords together or in a common oup, and then one or more lines of stitc cs 16 are sewed through the fabric and cords, as shown in Fig. 5, thus leaving an open substantially tubular casing 17 through which thespring holder 12 may be inserted endwise. The spring 12 is of such length that its ends will project slightly through the ends of the casing 1.7, and hence be free to be inserted intothe socket-forming portions 9 of the mop head. By reference to Fig, 2 it will be noted that the socket-forming portions 9 are bent on the curved line of a circle whose center is at the center of the bent flexible holder for the swab and will freely bend Vertically to adapt itself to a floor angle and may also be readily forced into oval or elongated form, thus adapting the mop to any and all kinds of surfaces and conditions encountered in scrubbing, oiling, or dusting floors or the like.

The cylindrically coiled spring affords the m'ostflexible kind of a resilient form for holding the mop normally in the form of a loop, which loop is adapted to be bent into various difi'erent shapes but will resume its normal shape when relieved from pressure. For instance, if the mop is crowded against the wall, it will flatten out to fit the wall, or if forced into a corner, will assume an angular form, but in any case, when released, will, by the spring, be restored to a normal circular or curved looped form. r

The above described mop, while of simple construction, maybe made at very small cost and is highly efiicient for the purposes had in view. The swab may be quickly removed or applied and different swabs may be uickly interchanged. When the mop is use asan oiled mop, a certain amount of hard lubricating oil maybe-inserted into the spring where it will come into contact with the fabric casing and will, by capillary attraction, be carried into the cords of the fabric, thereby keeping the swab always properly oiled.

What we claim is:

1. A mop comprising a handle, a headapplied to one end of said handle, a resilient cylindrically coiled spring bent to form a loop and having its ends secured to said head, and a swab rovided with means whereby it is secure on said spring, and which spring and swab are adapted to be sprung into various different forms but to return to normal shape when relieved from pressure. I

2. A mop comprising a handle, a clamping head applied to one end of said handle, a resilient cylindrically coiled s ring bent 'to form a loop and having its en s clamped to said head, and a swab having a casing telescoped onto said coiled spring, and which spring and swab are-adapted to be sprung into various d'ifi'erent forms but to return to normal shape when relieved from pressure.

In'testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

HERMAN J OSTDIEK. MARY E. HANKE. 

